While I prepared for this Sunday’s service I noticed the wonderful range of music we had chosen to express ourselves. Stylistically: African tribal as in Marty Haugen’s “God is Still Speaking”, pop rock with Bruce Harding’s “Shine”, a contemporary ballad “Come Touch Our Hearts” by Gordon Light and the rich heritage hymn “Come, Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love” — each of these songs, in their diversity of language, poetry, melody and harmony and various rhythms will lift up and support a particular part of the message on Sunday. Woven together they each contribute to the message that:

We are beloved.
We are called to live with joy!

The choir will be singing a song written by Fred Kaan in 1967, with music by Ron Klusmeier which is very much focused on celebrating the here and now. I find these lyrics wonderfully relevant and contemporary even though they were written 45 years ago. … you might want to reflect on the author’s comments and lyrics below. I am looking forward to seeing many of you this Sunday.

“the present tense” by Fred Kaan

Author’s Comments

• Author Fred Kaan, from his book The Only Earth We Know (Stainer & Bell / Hope Publishing Co., 1999, page 68): “Written in 1967-ish for the Plymouth Church in Plymouth [England], this hymn tries to spell out our priorities as far as our evaluation and use of time are concerned. One thing is for sure: tradition is dynamic rather than static; it means ‘remembering forward’. We cannot hand Christ back, so to speak. Handing Christ on — tradition! — is future orientated. Meanwhile, there is the here-and-now…”

Lyrics

Thank you, O god, for the time that is now,
for all the newness your minutes allow;
make us alert with your presence of mind
to fears and longings that move human kind.

Thank you, O God, for the time that is past,
for all the values and thoughts that will last.
May we all stagnant traditions ignore,
leaving behind things that matter no more.

Thank you for hopes of the day that will come,
for all the change that will happen in time;
God, for the future our spirits prepare,
hallow our doubts and redeem us from fear.

Make us afraid of the thoughts that delay,
faithful in all the affairs of today;
keep us, Creator, from playing it safe,
thank you that now is the time of our life!

As we make final preparations for our Advent dress rehearsal (I am writing this to the accompaniment of Greg Davidson tuning the sanctuary piano) and organize music and shepherd the singers into place, encouraging their finest choral sounds, festooning the space with organza and candle, I am reminded of tensions in the air from special events past.

It seemed like such a good idea when the creative seed was planted … what if we — and we could also — and then before you know it you have signed on for a project that will consume hours of your precious time, draw heavily on your creative resources and exhaust many of the favours you have to call in.

“Why do we do this to ourselves?” a colleague once remarked to me right at that moment of … what is it, despair — not really — panic — maybe — uncertainty that it all wont work out — it usually does … that moment of, well … what’s it all for!?

The concert or event — what ever it was — went ahead. The songs were sung, the applause, the thank yous, and then the magic that was created in the performance bubbled over into the space where the community gathered.

They were laughing, smiling, greeting, sharing, eating squares, drinking punch, catching up, congratulating, hugging, hosting, being hosted, in a way that faith communities do particularly well.

This is why you do this, I was able to say to my colleague. Look at the opportunity you have created for this community to be community. This doesn’t happen after a Stuart McLean Christmas concert where everyone applauds and goes their separate ways and the Vinyl Cafe crew gets on the tour bus and does it all again two days later in another theatre in another town. The “virtual community” of radio or cyberspace is not a replacement for a date square made by your neighbour, served by a friend in an experience shared with a new soul you are just about to meet.

This season, as busy as I know you are, take in more than one musical or social event sponsored by the faith communities in your neighbourhood! It will be worth your effort too.

Sometimes amazing performances by others discourage us. … we might think that we can never aspire to this level or that quality.

Better I think that we experience the WOW, the AMAZING, the JOY of the moment. Let it settle and drip over us and through us and then … think about what bit of what we experienced could we include in our work. Some small thing or things that raises the bar for us.

A few months ago for a church service, I was asked to play “Ordinary Miracle” (performed Sarah McLachlan). It fit beautifully and I was pleased to have the opportunity. Got me thinking about other “pop” tunes that have made it into United Church worship services.

Ones that don’t have explicit God language like “It’s a Wonderful World” or “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. (got heck from some circles for playing that one) … This coming Sunday I am planning on singing with renowned tenor, Robyn Cathcart, the beautiful Placido Domingo / John Denver duet “Perhaps Love”. Without much difficulty one could see it as a religious piece, even though the text’s original intention was of a more secular love. (LYRICS)

… a very upbeat and bluesy AMEN is how we finished an amazing day of growing together.
The choirs of Cadboro Bay United and Oak Bay United churches joined forces for a full day of singing and sharing.

We worked hard and challenged our voices to sing a range of styles with and without printed music. We discussed our role in music ministry and workshopped several new anthems. My thanks to our Oak Bay UC choir, my colleague Christine Chepyha and the choir of Cadboro Bay UC for their enthusiastic participation.

My most memorable learning (among many) of the day was: community is something we create together, it comes from shared experiences, trust and a desire to grow … our ministry of music can be our vehicle for building community.

Sometimes life can get so overwhelming. When everything converges all at once it can be exhausting, but when the activity is good work that feeds the soul, it can leave you energized and fulfilled. I am so grateful for all the wonderful new friends I have made over the past few weeks.

Do you remember that old adage that “everything I needed to know about life I learned in Kindergarten”? Several exchanges this month have led me back there and how it relates to so many disciplines.

Gigi Vincentini (an amazing eastern medicine practitioner) told me (while twisting the needles) that her first 3 months of an extensive 5 year formal study of eastern medical techniques gave her all the fundamentals. From then on it was about going deeper in each area to understand them at the level that a “master” needed in order to “practice” and heal.

Robyn Cathcart, my wonderful and insufferably patient voice teacher, laughs at me when I have epiphanies about things he has been saying, demonstrating and mentoring in me for years. “Think of how much money you would have saved if you had listened, heard and understood in the first place.”

We don’t get it all at once, do we? And the practicing is part of the essence of our humanity. Yoda did say “there is no try; only do or not do.” … hmm Yoda, I’m not so sure. I am glad that folks keep trying. We can’t all be overnight Jedi Masters.

Allison, (I don’t remember her last name right now) a wonderful choral director at Naramata Centre several summers ago shared this with us about the different modes of leadership in a choir. As with everything about a choir it can be applied to so much other stuff in our lives.

The mode of Judgmentalism exists where a prior standard is set by observation of another group, and the expectation is made to try to attain these goals. This mindset is based in the belief that the group is inadequate at present and must improve to be acceptable. It is an attitude which is fundamentally rooted in fear, and exists at every level of the arts. No matter how good you are, it is never enough. Your self worth becomes dependent on external approval or disapproval, and fear eventually destroys creativity.

The mode of Acceptance exists where fundamentally there is pleasure and delight in the skills, the discipline, and the creativity of the group. It may be the physical act of singing, of the welling of feeling of a song, but the pleasure is in the here and now of the moment. With this delight comes an endless flow of new ideas and ways of expanding the art form. It is rooted in the joy of now, and the excitement of trying new ideas. It is endlessly creative, and affirming to both individuals and groups’ self worth, and it is the essence of amateur singing. It may be worth pointing out that the word “amateur” means “to love”. I propose that we consciously embrace this mode of being.

Thanks to Allison for this learning that I keep coming back to. BTW if any of you know Allison (she directs a women’s choir on one of the gulf islands) I would love to be reminded of her last name and have a chance to reconnect.

It is such a great feeling for everyone when voices are moving together like one finely tuned instrument. Each singer is an important part of an expression that connects everyone who hears it. Swingin’ Soul is getting so tight and everyone is very supportive of each other in the group learning.